Dundonald Foodbank

Dundonald Foodbank is one of over 400 Foodbanks throughout the UK, and is run as a joint initiative between seven local churches. In the last 12 months Dundonald Foodbank has helped over 750 people who have found themselves in financial difficulty through no fault of their own. People get into financial difficult and need the help of the foodbank for a variety of different reasons. The following is a true story of how a foodbank helped one lady who got into difficulty when changes were made to her Benefits:

Edna, almost 60, was referred to the foodbank by a cancer charity after her Employment Support Allowance was replaced by Job Seeker’s Allowance. Despite having undergone radical surgery to remove cancer last year and suffering from arthritis and depression following the recent death of her brother, Edna was told she was fit for work. She has been applying for jobs with little success and feels that her age has reduced her employability. She is also concerned that she would not be able to physically cope with a job and is appealing the decision but this is expected to take weeks. Edna lives alone and has sold her TV, a main source of company for her, to help put food on the table and has been eating plain pasta or couscous as it’s all she can afford. She contacted the foodbank with just £8 left to last her five days.

This story, like so many others across the UK, is an example of how easy it is to slip into a crisis where you cannot afford food and highlights why it is so necessary to have a local foodbank here in Dundonald.